A letter from the President

"Act FAST" are critical words to remember if you think you or someone else has suffered a stroke. FAST is both an acronym to help confirm your suspicion and a pointed reminder: Acting fast can mean the difference between life and death, between a full recovery and long-term disabilities. Suzy Morgan can attest to that. She returned to work just three weeks after a stroke — thanks in large part to the fast actions of her husband and her care at Community Hospital.

Two years ago, Community Hospital became a Joint Commission-certified stroke center, in recognition of our experience, protocols, and skills in providing the best care possible to stroke patients. In this issue of

Pulse, you’ll read more about what it means to be a certified center and about Suzy’s amazing recovery. You’ll also learn about the benefits of taking the plunge in a pool for therapy and exercise, how to minimize the risk of injury for the young athletes in your life, and how technology can help you and your healthcare team better coordinate your care.

While we’re on the topic of technology, you’ll notice something new in this issue — some abstract-looking boxes such as the one on the opposite page. For those of you unfamiliar with them, these are "quick response codes" or QRs. If you have a smartphone, like an iPhone® or Android™, you can download a free application, take a picture of the code, and be instantly directed to a web site with related information. We’ve added them in a few places in this issue, to help readers quickly get access to additional resources on www.chomp.org. We invite you to try them.